Kerry- if you want to standardize on one size banquet frame, I'd suggest bumping it up to a 12x20 frame - that will accommodate ANY banquet size from 5x12 on up.

Scott,

I'm thinking about offering both options - one frame for the 7x17 and 8x20 sizes and another for 12x20. Another possible option is to ask the manufacturer to increase the size of their 40x50cm frame so that it can support 14x17, 16x20 and 12x20.

Thanks for the pdf link Kerry. I like the way they have put the springs under another strip of stainless steel instead of capturing them with slots in the wood.

Alex,

The strips, and the springs, are actually made out of extruded clear-anodized aluminum bar stock. They are strong springs and since both ends are held in place by the bar stock, you don't have to worry about wooden rails slots splitting out.

I now have pricing information on the Argentum Contact Printing Frames:

24x30cm - $219.00
30x40cm - $249.00
40x50cm - $299.00

Banquet sizes:

24x55cm for 7x17 and 8x20 - $249.00
35x55cm for 12x20 - $309.00

These prices do not include shipping - which will be billed at standard domestic rates.

The actual image area of these frames is 1cm larger in each direction than the nominal dimensions.

If you would like to pre-order a frame (no payment due until the frames are ready to ship from the manufacturer), please send an email to sales@reallybigcameras.com and speciy the size you would like to purchase.

Good to see that some of the Argentum products are reaching the US market. I don't know if you ever got any camera for review from them, but I put in my word (whatever weight that has!) for you.

I've no experience with their contact frames but I know their cameras are well built. And they age very nicely, with the wood slowly darkening. So, anyone deciding to buy one of these frames, I believe, is going to be happy.

I am in the market for a contact frame but in this case, I thnk I'll see if I can get hold of the guys at Argentum directly, as it seems pointless to ship it over the Atlantic and back.

Good to see that some of the Argentum products are reaching the US market. I don't know if you ever got any camera for review from them, but I put in my word (whatever weight that has!) for you.

Not yet, but Istvan is making me one to try out. I hope to eventually sell the Argentum cameras, as well.

Originally Posted by Jerevan

I've no experience with their contact frames but I know their cameras are well built. And they age very nicely, with the wood slowly darkening. So, anyone deciding to buy one of these frames, I believe, is going to be happy.

The sample they sent me was very well made. It is made from white ash - a hard wood with very straight grain (the same wood used to make baseball bats). It is also heavier, and lighter in color, than the cherry wood they use for their cameras and holders. I like that they are matching the type of wood they use to the application.

Originally Posted by Jerevan

I am in the market for a contact frame but in this case, I thnk I'll see if I can get hold of the guys at Argentum directly, as it seems pointless to ship it over the Atlantic and back.

Yes, definitely. The selling price is the same (within a few percent depending on the exchange rate at the time), but it wouldn't make sense to ship it back and forth across the Atlantic. The frames are heavy (the 24x30cm one weighs about 4 lb. 14 oz. (about 2.2 kg). So, international shipping x2 would be quite expensive.

Will the 7x17/8x20 frame have a three spring or two spring back? If three springs, I'd pre-order. If two, I'll probably wait for reports and see how others are finding them. A three-spring design also makes it possible to expose two smaller prints in the same frame and take one out before the other.